Bleeder valve



Feb. 28, 1928. 1,661,046

J. J. MILLER BLEEDER VALVE Filed March 15, 1927 AYTORNEX Patented Feb. 28, T928.

UNITED STATES JEROME J. MILLER, 01? GHADBON, NEBRASKA.

BLEEDER VALVE.

Application filed March 15, 1927. Serial No. 175,818.

- This invention relates to a bleeder valve and means for lubrication of an air brake cylinder and has for its object the provision of a quick and reliable means for emptying the air brake air cylinders of railroad cars at air and water and to lubricate the cylin- Other uses will be apparent to those skilled in the artand lie within the scope of my invention.

At present railroad cars are bled in this manner. A man stands at the side of the car and holds open the bleeder valve by pulling on a rod attached to the valve stem or rocker arm of such valve until the air is all out of the cylinder which releases the brakes. The object is to release the brakes preparatory to handling cars without air brakes. By the use of my invention this operation is done automatically.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 illustrates a side elevation in section of an air brake cylinder with my improved valve mounted thereon and showing the hollow piston rod of the air brake cylinder with the lubricating means in position.

- is a follower 8 provided with an eye olt 9" Figure 2 is an enlarged view of the bleeder valve from thesame position as shown in Fig. 1 and more clearly illustrates the trip means employed to keep the valve open while functioning.

Figure 3 is a front end elevation'of the invention.

Figure 4 is a per ctive view of the tri ger for opening an closing the valve.

lgure 5 shows a pers ective view of the trip means taken fromt e left and looking down on same.

Figure 6 shows a view ofthe bleeder valve in running position, that is, with the trip means idling while in running position.

Referring now to Figure 1, numeral 1 in dicates an air brake cylinder of usual construction, having a portion 1' containing a piston 2 having a hollow piston rod 3. A

bleeder pipe 4 extends back over the cylinderto its rear end and on the end of this bleeder pipe, the bleeder valve 5 is located. On the piston rod 3 a trip 6 1s mounted and inside the piston rod a plug 7 of grease 1s placed. Slidable in the piston rod behind the lug 7 at the rear end to facilitate removal ofthe plug. The eye bolt is disposed in. a recess 2 in the rear end of the follower so that its end does not project. A plunger 9 is slidable within the hollow piston 3 and'is arranged so that during the action of the brake, a pressure is transmitted to the plug of grease and the follower 8 to force lubricant through a channel in the piston to the walls of the cylinder. A valve body or shell 10 is provided which is bifurcated at its upper end to provide a pair of parallel transversely extending plates 10, and arranged upon opposite sides of the valve body or shell is a pair of weighted arms 13 having their upper ends pivotally supported between theplates 10 and provided with inwardly directed lateral exten- 510118 or lugs 19'arranged in over-lapped relation and normally extending horizontally between the plates. 6

The body or shell of the valve is screwed onto the end of the 'bleeder pipe by means of the union 11, through the medium of a short length of pipe extending upward into the valve and screwed thereto as shown at 15. In the valve body 10, the central portion 16 into which the screw connection 15 fits is provided with a central hole into which a bleed valve 17 fits, bearing a nut or pin at its upper end. The short arms or lugs 19-19 of the rockers 13-13 contact'with the top of the valve 17 which is ordinarily held seated by the air pressure. In this figure the tripping means is shown at 18 being a fiat square member, as in Fig. 5, mo vided with spring clips 14, a pair of stafl's, a short section of which at the bottom is turned at right angles as shown at 4.

Figure 4 shows the trigger, it consisting essentiall of a bridge 20 secured upon the upper e ges of the plates 10' carrying a pair of longitudinally curved latch arms 21 each of which carries a laterally extending lug 22 and a grasping element 27 adjacent its rear end.

Describing now the lubricating device, 7 is a plug of grease in the hollow piston rod 3, the end nearest the iston being provided with circumferential holes; 24 is a passageway leading to a porous gasket 25 in contact with the cylinder wall. The piston 9 is pushed in to spread the grease throu h the channel 24-by the'action ofthe bra e transmitted through a solid rod operating inside the hollow piston rod.

The operation of the ble'eder is as follows:

When the piston 2 is in the'position shown 7 in Fig. 6, the fiat panel 18 of the trip engages the ends 12 of the trigger 12 and pushes them upward, thus sliding the cam ortion 22 from under the arms 13, and alowing' them to drop somewhat until they strike the clips 14 now also under the arms 13 and thereby retain the arms against accidental swinging movement incident to the vibration of the train, thus obviating premature actuation of the valve 17. The clips protect the arms from looking and tamparing.

The arms 13 being now depressed, there is no pressure being exerted on the top of valve stem 17, thus allowing this valve stem to remain closed by the spring pressure. When the trip is in as close engagement with the bleeder valve as is possible, the trigger ears 21 are swung a maximum distance toward the cylinder. When the trip is retracted, the ears fall again and the lugs on their sides slide under the rocker arms 13 and lift them up, depressing the valve 17 and letting out the air and any water that may be present.

I claim 1. In combination an air brake cylinder provided with a normally closed bleed valve and a piston reciprocable in the cylinder, a

. pivoted valve depressing element, and a manually set latch element pivotally supported for movement in a direction at right.

angles to the plane of movement of the. valve de' ressing element and adapted to actuate an retain the valve depressing element in positionto depress the valve to 0 en position, and an abutment carried by t e plston for actuatin the latch element to a position to render t e valve actuating element inactive and permit the valve to close.

2. In combination anair brake cylinder having a normally closed bleed valve, and a piston reciprocable in the cylinder, a valve actuating element pivotally supported adjacent the valve, a manually set latch element movable at right angles to the valve actuating element and'having a bevelled surface to engage and actuate the actuating element to a position to retain the bleed valve open, and an abutment carried by the piston rod arranged to actuate the latch to disengage its bevelled surface from the valve actuating element permitting closing of the valve 11 on movement of the piston in an inward dlrection.

3. In combination an air brake cylinder having a normally closed bleed valve and 0.

reciprocable piston in the cylinder, a valve actuating element pivoted adjacent the valve, a latch element pivotally supported for movement at right angles to the valve actuating element and arranged to lift the latter against the valve to retain it in open position upon being set in a forward position, and a fixed abutment carried by the piston rod and arranged to swing the latch element in a rearward direction dlsengaging it from the valve actuating element.

4. In a valve actuating device, a normally closed reciprocable valve, a pair of valve actuating elements pivoted adjacent the valve, a swinging latch supported adjacent the valve actuatin elements and arranged to actuate and late 1 the valve actuating elements in position to retain the valve in open position, and means for disengaging the latch from the valve actuating elements to permit the valve to return to closed position.

5. In combination an air brake mechanism including a pressure cylinder, a normally closed bleed valve and a reciprocable piston, a plurality of weighted valve actuating elements supported adjacent the valve, a pair of longitudinally curved latch arms pivotally supported for movement at right angles to the valve actuating elements and adapted to lift and latch the arms in a position to retain I the valve open, and an upstanding abutment carried by the piston rod for engagement .with the latch arms to disengage the latter from "the valve actuating elements upon movement of the piston rod in an inward direction.

6. In combination an air brake mechanism 7 including a pressure cylinder, a normally closed bleed valve and a 'reciprocable piston, a plurality of weighted valve actuating elements supported adjacent the valve, a pair of longitudinally curved latch arms pivotally supported for. movement at right angles to the valve actuating elements and adapted to lift and latch the arms. in a position to retain the valve open, an upstanding abutment carried by the piston rod to disenga e the latch arms from the valve actuating-e ements upon movement of the piston in one direction, and a pair of forwardly projecting arms carried by the abutment and disposed behind the valve actuatin elements when the piston is at the end 0 its movement in one direction to prevent the latter from prematurely actuating the valve.

JEROME J. MILLER. 

